Premier winter guide service providing cat skiing, heli skiing and snowmobiling tours in the American Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho.
Our world-famous snowy mountain range begins in Eastern Washington / Northern Idaho and terminates in British Columbia near Revelstoke. Over 90% of the snowcat and helicopter skiing companies in North America operate in the Selkirks because of their excellent snowcover and terrain, and the highway encircling them in roughly the shape of an oval is called The Powder Highway.
The snowpack is unique–influenced by both Maritime (Alaska) and Continental (Utah) moisture flows. This sets up the best of all riding conditions; building a solid base that is continually added onto by fresh snowfall.
Selkirk Powder is located on The Powder Highway, (on the American side referred to as Highway 95), and conveniently nestled in the alpine village at Schweitzer Mountain, 9 miles from Sandpoint, Idaho. Our front desk and meeting area are located in the Lakeview building directly in Schweitzer’s village and our lodge sits atop the 7-mile long ridge, just steps away from the summit of the Great Escape chairlift.
Our lodge overlooks our cat skiing terrain of 4350 acres. Our tenure is a huge, West-facing amphitheater. We’ve segmented it into 7 sections, or riding zones, with some 92 named runs resulting in a rounded portfolio of open fields, powder pillows, narrow chutes and broader glades. Slope angles vary from light up to mid-40 degrees. You won’t find big alpine walls here, but what you will find is eminently skiable terrain, with deep, dry snow due to our Northern and Western exposure and epic tree skiing!
We operate powerful Pisten Bully snowcats with custom “in-the-round” seating cabins built for 10 riders each. The average group makes 10 runs, achieving about 12,000-14,000 vertical feet. We’ve also built a vast network of surface and snowcat roads, which allow for quick lap times and friendly pickup locations.
